Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Gallery

California Dems Pass 3 Reparation Bills For Slavery

This article was originally published at StateOfUnion.org. Publications approved for syndication have permission to republish this article, such as Microsoft News, Yahoo News, Newsbreak, UltimateNewswire and others. To learn more about syndication opportunities, visit About Us.
 California state Senate

The California state Senate passed three reparations bills on Tuesday, aiming to provide restitution to the descendants of slaves.

California Legislative Black Caucus

These bills, put forth by the California Legislative Black Caucus, are part of a series of over a dozen reparations bills introduced.

Black Californians

They involve actions like apologizing to Black Californians for the state’s past role in implementing slave laws and discriminatory practices. The legislation will proceed to the California State Assembly for further deliberation and voting.

California introduced

In January, California introduced a series of reparations bills aiming to provide property compensation and financial reimbursements to the descendants of slaves and other Black individuals.

Bills on reparations

Previous bills on reparations, which included provisions for homeownership assistance and property tax relief for descendants of slaves, were rejected by the assembly.

Legislative effort

This ongoing legislative effort underscores the state’s commitment to addressing historical injustices and promoting equity.

This week

This week, the state senate passed the SB 1403 bill, focusing on establishing the California Freedmen Affairs Agency to oversee the qualification process for potential reparations recipients.

Descendant of slaves

Eligibility would require being a descendant of slaves or a free Black individual residing in the U.S. before the late 19th century.

SB 1050

Additionally, SB 1050 aims to compel the California Freedmen Affairs Agency to compensate families whose properties were confiscated through “race-based” eminent domain.

SB 1331

SB 1331 is designated to allocate resources for reparations policies endorsed by the governor, according to ABC7.

Senator Steven Bradford

Democratic Senator Steven Bradford from Southern California, the architect of these bills, emphasized on the senate floor, “If you can inherit generational wealth, you can inherit generational debt.”

Longstanding debt

He underscored that reparations represent a longstanding debt owed to descendants of slavery, emphasizing that it is not a charity but a fulfillment of past promises that are long overdue by 160 years.

California Assembly

Following the California Assembly’s recent approval of a bill that acknowledges the state’s responsibility for historical injustices and atrocities, there is growing recognition of the government’s role in perpetuating the oppression of African Americans.

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas highlighted California’s tainted past marked by the subjugation of Black individuals, emphasizing the ongoing need for healing.

California reflects

This development in California reflects a broader national trend, with various local and state governments establishing task forces to outline the implementation of reparations.

Task force

For instance, Boston, Massachusetts, has convened a task force comprising experts who will recommend reparations strategies based on comprehensive historical research.

New York

Similarly, New York Governor Kathy Hochul initiated a reparations task force in December last year.

These efforts

Despite these efforts, not all voters endorse compensating eligible Black residents. A recent poll revealed a majority of Californian voters opposing cash payments to descendants of slaves, indicating a divided sentiment on the issue of reparations.

You May Also Like

Trending